New options for a building, please keep this in your prayers! Keep your ears peeled as we will be able to share more on December 11th.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
We are continuing our series in Galations, "The Epic Tensions" will pick back up in Chapter 5. Bring your friends and family! See you there!
One LOVE!
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The life I have been blessed with has been very trying of late. I have had physical limitations that are overpowering, I have encountered my old foe depression, and I am plagued with dehabilitating fatigue that overwhelms.
Today though I realized something about the word overcome. It is a word in process, a word of action, a state of being. I have been so overpowered by the afflictions of my predicament that I have forgotten the nature of BEING. Although there are many conditions that create the very nature of life, I have been focused on circumstances rather than the actuality of existence.
I AM in a state of overcoming. No matter what the circumstances are, two and a half years ago the “status” of who I was changed from defeated, to overcoming. America is where I hail from. The strange land that has culturally taught us that the only way to live, is perfectly. But my life is a mess and I am a mess inside of it. I live in complete chaos. There is a continued spiral of decay that is alive and well in me. I think that there are many people who would look at my life in astonishment as I declare the center of my life, revolves around Christ. I hear the cries already: “But if God was real then she would be better!” or “If she was a true believer then she would get her act together!”.
The problem with these lines of thinking is that they are both self-centered. The first: "If God was real, then..." Well, I’m not God, but I am personally hard to understand. Who am I to question the motives and actions of the one who calls Himself “I AM” if I cannot even fathom the depths of my own soul? In all honesty, I would rather worship a being that makes no sense at times, than one who perfectly aligns with my underwhelming mind. The other thought process involves a ridiculous notion that the common state of being for any human is perfection. If I have my facts straight, this has never been our “natural” state. We are imperfect beings.
In John 16 Jesus is speaking to his disciples about what is to come. He says:
Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
He speaks with authority and in a very clear way he communicates the reality of what will happen on the cross; the literal moment of overcoming. He who has overcome the pain, the trials, our sin and shame; now lives in me. I leave you with the glorious worship that is Romans 8:18-39. This is my state of permanent being. I have already overcome through the power of Christ, now I eagerly wait for redemption.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We speak a good deal about that supreme mystery of our faith, the death to self. For, as we have heard, he who would save his life shall lose it, and he who loses his life for Jesus’ sake shall find it. But what does that really mean -to die to self? Does it mean, perhaps, selling my car and going on foot or by bus? It might. We can’t rule out the possibility. Does it mean, perhaps, selling my good clothes and furniture so that my wife and I should sit around in rags on orange crates? It might. Certainly we can’t dismiss that possibility either. For the problem is that words like “dying to self” are translated into some kind of action, or something that actually happens -that is, some real change -they don’t have any real meaning. So we certainly must try, eventually, to translate them into the language of action.
But before we get too hasty and impatient there are some things at which we should take a hard look. The first is that we have a rather incurable tendency always to refuse to really listen to the words of God and instead to translate them immediately into something we are going to do, indeed, can do. This is what we always do with the law. We take it and translate it into a do-it-yourself kit for salvation. It is as though we think we are going to do God a big favor by living up to what is demanded of us and even, possibly, put him out of the salvation business by accomplishing all or at least some of it ourselves-even if that turns out to be just a teeny-weeny little bit. But when we do that we really come a-cropper when we come to this word about dying to self. For what can that possibly mean in a do-it-yourself religion? Here God has set a snare for us in our easy confidence that we are big enough to handle the job. For this is a word that we find difficult to handle. We find ourselves forced either to ignore it -which we mostly do -or to try to cut it down to size so we can handle it -maybe by selling our car or our furniture or our clothes. But even then we can’t rest too easily with it, for we are never quite sure that that is enough. For however much discomfort such actions may cause us, is that really dying to self? They may be just another means of keeping myself in the business of doing God big -or little -favors, and thus of protecting myself from really hearing the words. The trouble is that the self keeps getting in the way.
But what then does it really mean? When considering this question, I was struck by some of the incidents recorded in our texts for today. For here we have the picture of Jesus on the way to his death. His disciples are with him, and are apparently figuring that they are going to have a hand in what is about to happen. They want to go along. They want to help out, to do their bit in the business of bringing in God’s kingdom, even, as Peter says in Mark’s account, if that means sacrificing their lives. But the really difficult thing for them to take, as I suspect it also is for us as “religious” people, is that in the final analysis there is absolutely and utterly nothing they can do. When Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem, Peter wants to do something about it. He sets himself in the way and says, “God forbid, Lord! Don’t do it! Don’t go!” Peter wants to do God a favor -to protect and preserve the Messiah and his kingdom. But Jesus looks at him and says, “Get thee behind me Satan! For you are hindrance to me, you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mark 8:33)’ This, Jesus says, is something that must happen; it is going to happen because God wants it, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
And at the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane when the crowd comes out against Jesus with swords and clubs, they still want to do something. They still want to do their bit for God. They want to take up the sword and risk their lives, perhaps, and fight. One of them grasps a sword and cuts off the ear of one of the assailants. But Jesus will have none of it: “Put up your sword,” he says, “for there is absolutely nothing you can do!” In Luke’s account, Jesus even stretches out his hand to undo what the disciples had tried to do -he heals the wounded man. At that point, no doubt, everything within us cries out in protest along with the disciples. Is there nothing we can do? Could we not at least perhaps stage a protest march on God’s behalf? Could we not seek, perhaps, an interview with Pilate? Could we not try to influence the “power structures”? Something -however small? But the unrelenting answer comes back, “No, there is nothing you can do, absolutely nothing. If there were something to be done, my Father would send legions of angels to fight!” But there is nothing to be done. “For how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” And when it finally came to that last and bitter moment, when these good religious men finally realized that there was nothing they could do, they forsook him and fled.
Can you see it? Can you see that hidden in these very words, these very events, is that death itself which you fear so much coming to meet you? For there is nothing that the old man -the self which must die fears so much as having everything taken out of his hands. When they finally saw there was nothing they could do they forsook him and fled before the awesome truth. You, who presume to do business with God, can you see it? Can you see that this death of self is not, in the final analysis, something you can do? For the point is that God has once and for all reserved for himself the business of your salvation. There is nothing you can do now but, as the words of the old hymn have it, “climb Calvary’s mournful mountain” and stand with your helpless arms at your side and tremble before “that miracle of time, God’s own sacrifice complete! It is finished; hear him cry; learn of Jesus Christ to die!”
Can you see it? Can you see that really the last, bitter death is there? That in that cross God has stormed the last bastion of the self, the last presumption that you really were going to do something for him? Can you see that the death of Jesus Christ is your death? He has died in your place! He has done it. He made it. He created a salvation in the midst of time and his enemies. He is God happening to you. It is all over, finished, between you and God! He died in your place that death which you must die; he has done it in such a way as to save you. He has borne the whole thing! The fact that there is nothing left for you to do is the death of self and new birth of the new creature. He died to make a new creature of you, and as he arose, to raise you up to trust God alone.
If you can see it, perhaps then you can see, or perhaps at least begin to see, what is the power of God’s grace and rejoice. For that is the other side of the coin once you have gotten out of your self-enclosed system. Then perhaps you can turn away from yourself, maybe really for the first time, and look upon your neighbors. Maybe for the first time you can begin to receive creation as a gift, a sheer gift from God’s hands. And who knows what might happen in the power of this grace? All possibilities are open. You might sell your car, or even give it away -for someone else. You might find even that you could swallow your pride and stage a protest march -for your neighbor -or begin to seek to influence the power structures! For in the power of his cross the way is open! The way is open to begin, at least, perhaps in faltering ways, in countless little ways, to realize what it means to die to self. For that, in the final analysis, is his gift to you, the free gift of the new man, the new woman, the one who can live in faith and hope, for whom all possibilities are open!
I experienced firsthand the overwhelming pain of helplessness this week. In a very literal way I stood by incapable, as the lamb was led to slaughter.
In this moment I did what I do best.
I fled.
My heart breaks to say this but it is true. I did not run to my Savior, I ran away. In true form of the example set by the disciples, when I saw there was nothing I could do I ran away.
The most amazing thing about this moment of humiliation is that God is here, even when I run. God is good, even when I run. God is true even when I run.
I am learning to trust that this horrific situation, that I can do nothing in, will be turned for God's Glory. Even though I ran, there is grace for me also, I am being turned for God's Glory.
As you read this sermon by Gerhard Forde (and I pray you do!), be reminded that it is not central to you, but most importantly hinges on Jesus.
"Jesus paid it all, all to Thee I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
Oh praise the One who Paid my debt and brought this life up from the grave!"
Over the past few months I have seen a wide spray of conjecture based on current "popular" leaders opinions in the Christian world. It is very refreshing to hear a conversation with four of those such leaders who are all very different in understanding certain views.
Bloggers and fast-paced information movement has caused us to lose sight of CONVERSATION and move into complete and total thought driven SPECULATION. As I watch these four men, who are integral to the heartbeat of the Christian Movement today (this is true whether you agree with all of their doctrines or not), I see a facet that a lot of us have missed: Discussion.
As we are very vocal beings it is important to know and share what you believe and who you are. Do not miss this. Please continue to surmise and interpret, please continue to let others know what you see and how you see it, but most importantly please do not forget to take a moment to hear more than your own voice.
There is a reason that others see the world differently than you do. Instead of persecuting and even protecting these views, how about listening with fresh eyes the other side. Maybe the middle ground will be Jesus.
As you watch this video, hear the nuance of differences, but also realize that there is always a middle ground. May we learn from these gifted men the art of conversation.
Aching for yonder shores and longingly scanning the distant horizon may well be God’s call on our lives. But it also may be our impatience with the monotonous minutiae of the daily grind. Escapism is not fulfilling the great commission.Regardless of our location, abroad or at home, all ministry is inescapably local. Every worker in a global context must embrace the monotonous minutiae of a new daily grind after the plane lands—figuring out the postal service, dealing with the cell phone company, conjugating verbs in the slow and tedious study of the language. If we cannot be faithful to do our statistics homework or collaborate with our coworkers, then we may lack the strength of character required for dealing with the meticulous annoyances of a more radical life beyond the romanticized horizon.
I love the heart test behind this article. I am ever wanting to leave the place that I am at, yet this is what I am called to: today. In church we have been cracking the surface of the book of James. The passage in chapter four hit me hard: Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
I do not know what tomorrow will bring, am I wasting the glory of this moment by wishing I was elsewhere? Most definitely. I may be called to another place in my lifetime, but being unable to love this time and this moment only deters that from happening.
I am learning to rest on God. And God has brought me through today. For that I give thanks. This moment is a mist, and I pray that I make the most of it.
Set the faithfulness of the Lord before you under the saddest providences.
O what quietness will this breed! I see my God will not lose my heart, if a rod can prevent it. he would rather hear me groan here than howl hereafter. His love is judicious, not fond. He consults my good rather than my ease.-John Flavel
Excerpt taken from Jonathan Parnell's blog post. Read the rest here.
Do you ever meet a moment that you did not like? How about those days where every second is dragging and each breath becomes more akin to nails on a chalkboard, than refreshing, sustaining life? What about those times in life when everything seems ok but you are literally wanting to pull your skin off because something is just not right? What about in your relationship with Christ? Have you ever faced those times when life was supposed to be magically remade when you said Yes to Jesus, but fast-forward a few years and the supernatural is now humdrum?
I am going to admit that I am so there. When I “got saved”, I was alive as I had never been. Every day was a rush to start learning about Christ. I sat through bible studies and read piles of books, asked tons of questions and everyday fell deeper in love with my Savior. I am learning that the funny thing about Humans is that we are ever so forgetful. When was the last time you were speaking of Jesus and the reality of who He is and what He has done, overcame all thought and emotion bringing you to tears?
I forget.
The ability we have to push the beauty of Christ out of our daily lives is tragic, and consistent. Even those who study the word regularly can take out the cosmic beauty and insert a rather dry and crusty routine. How sad this is. However, this is our nature. I see a human pattern of forgetfulness, as we try to live in any other moment than the one we are in. We look so far into the future that we miss out of moments, days, months and even years of “right now”. Ever pressing into what is next, we miss the challenge of today, and with it the hardship and joy that right now brings. We are simply watching the second hand drive out reality so we can move on to a better time. We can also do the same by living in the past, the best years of our lives were come and gone, so we aim to make right now look just like the good old days.
I bet that the repetition of the book of Judges in the Bible is there for a reason. As one who notices rhythms and patterns, all I can see in that book is the vicious cycle that the Israelites maintained magnificently. How did they continue to forget? Then I remember my own life. How is it possible for me to forget? The redundancy of my own forgetfulness is humbling. I catch myself often trying to “get by”, without my Saviors lead.
I think that just as with the cycle of seasons in nature, we too have seasons that we go through in life. Sometimes we have moments of forgetfulness, but this makes the remembering all the sweeter. Sometimes we are ahead of our time, visions of what is to come permeating into today, and this is wonderful also as we get to imagine the undoing of all the sadness and brokenness that will be. We are allowed to remember. Remember who we were, and how we got here. This is redemption renewed. A sweet refreshing flood of memories reminding you of the person you are becoming.
I realize that as my human nature is to forget, God’s cosmic nature is to remind. He is a jealous lover, gazing on me as my mind is elsewhere; He will woo me as only He can. Gently and lovingly, he once again recaptures my attention and draws me into his fixed eyes that never wander. This moment is precious and restorative. This moment brings life and nourishes. I will never tire of this.
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Recently a few ideas have caught my attention. I think that Mary Kassan encapsulates this thought process about the blogs and verbiage that have accompanied it well (I urge you to read her thoughts!). There is a conversation being walked out about the idea of women and beauty. I have heard from a number of male pastor’s and the idea that it is Biblical to “keep yourself up” for your husband. Although this is a very important topic and there is a lot to be said on both sides, this is not what I want to talk about.
A few years ago I wrote on the struggle, I had while dating a boy trapped inside of a man’s body. He was addicted to pornography and I knew this even before I had proof. I was not saved at the time so I responded as a girl outside of grace would; I tried to become the girl he had in his head. When I was saved, I was able to forgive him. I was able to see how I responded wrongly in the situation. I was able to repent. You can read about this in-depth here: Breakthrough. My response to his problem was very wrong, and I am wondering if women in Church are doing a similar thing?
As I survey the wide landscape that makes up the body of Christ, I see many responses to beauty. I walk into a church building at times and feel no different to the cocktail I used to be. Men’s hearts are dark. I also know that I have used my beauty to sinfully captivate attention. Women’s hearts are dark. Thus, we reach a conundrum. How do we as women, become the crown of creation, as God intended, without the nature of sin taking this gift and warping it?
We can’t.
There is no way that we can walk in who we were created to be without the restorative nature of Christ redeeming us daily. Without redemption, we only have the ability to use our form for evil. I emphatically believe that there is a physical response to an inward reality, and women who are struggling with worth, self-esteem and the idea of love are always responding outwardly. This outward expression is one I stumbled into not in a healthy discussion surrounded by fellow believers, but at beauty school. A radical phenomenon happens when a woman has a fight with her significant other, instead dealing with her relationship, she would overhaul her hair. This was always so illogical to me, it made no sense to fight an inward battle with an outside appeal to beauty.
I think that this is similar to what the Church has done to the idea of beauty. Instead of dealing with the real issue, we are making women who are down, inside and out, only feel worse. This is not love, this is shame. I grew up in a “church” where it was never ok, to be beautiful on the outside. We were taught that outward beauty caused a man to stumble and it was our responsibility to dress “appropriately”. There is a huge off-kilter message among churches. The idea that we as women want to be dumpy, or that we are trying to be “loose” is absurd. I would say that there is a perfectly good reason that women have responded in the ways they have. No matter what we wear, there is a judgment that goes with it. If we are trying to be conservative, we are deemed “let go”, if we are dressing modernly, we are now sluts.
The only way I see any remedy to this situation is a cry for grace. Gentlemen, you have asked us that we give you grace in your journey, so I beg that you do the same. As we seek to worship the One who gave us our form, we ask that you pray for us along this journey. Instead of telling us what we should or should not wear, how about you help us work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Ladies, I think that this discussion should continue, I think that your motives should be questioned and I think that our hearts are never pure, so would you do the same? Seek to worship and honor Christ in all that you do, including what you wear.
I took myself on a date this evening. I went to Chipotle and got my grub on, then proceeded to get Ice Cream at Josh and John's. On the way home I ran into a co-worker who caught me ogling the sky. I was so inside of the moment of breathtaking beauty forming right before my eyes that I almost missed him! By the time I made it home this is what the sky looked like:
I knew that this sky was about to burst with glory so I set out to find a place where I could see this unfold. I found my niche after a short walk, and in the overpowering midst of the smell of spring I oohed and awwed at the explosive radiant celebration of the end of day that was happening before me.
I can say no more as my breath escapes me. Unbelievable.
My favorite shot of the escapade.
Quote post
I ended my first book with the words, no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you. I might—— Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
As stated, by Bush, another way people are used is in the sex trafficking industry; mainly women and children are taken to other countries and used as sex toys to feed humanities growing addictions to prostitution and pornography. This is a daily occurrence in America, with heightened activity happening during major sporting events. Amy Sullivan reports that “In Miami last year, police estimated that as many as 10,000 prostitutes from outside the area arrived for Super Bowl week” (Sullivan, 2011). The reality that these girls are most likely there by force and some are even underage is hard to accept.
Scientia potentia est or “Knowledge is power” as the popular idiom would go, causes us to ask ourselves when affronted with this information, “why have I never heard about these realities before?” The information void about slavery is astonishing, There are many grassroots movements putting together small informative meetings, non-profit organizations that are writing books and sending e-mails, and hometown abolitionists are putting up flyers in their neighborhoods, all attempting to spread the word quickly and effectively.
The problem with trying to bring information to the frontlines is that people are mainly occupied with trendy issues. If you do not have the impressive ability to engage the attention of the masses, the story will be ignored. Currently the average American is a consumer of information. Not only do people have full control over what TV shows they watch with the introduction of recorded TV, but also with social networking the ability to filter what you see has taken over. RSS feeders capture a massive amount of information, but only when you subscribe to the feed do you get wind of the information. The urge for people to cut out negative information has reached an all time high in this post 9/11 world. This poses a problem for small organizations trying to inform the masses. If people do not want to hear the negative, they are easily able to filter it out. Small movements trying to uproot large issues have to overcome the reality that revolutions necessitate strategy to overcome these obstacles.
With the uprising of simple, inexpensive ways to spread the word, like Facebook and Twitter, there seems to be a new surge of enlightenment and discovery. These social networks have become tools of refuge for the activist, enabling them to rapidly spread information and needs. David Batsone President and Co-Founder of Not For Sale, recently did an interview with Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter and communicates why he believes this is a tool that will bring change:
Is this helping though? If the people with the buying power actually made a simple decision to change the way they purchased, then yes this would make a difference. The reality is this grassroots movement has little support, and many though disgusted by the idea of child slavery are not willing to give up their novelties such as chocolate and coffee or buy fair trade to save lives.
So if what we are doing is not working, what is the next action? We must go into the places where the poorest of the poor live and give them opportunities to grow. Microeconomics change the way small villages exist. Unfathomably poor is where most of the world lives daily. The idea we have as Americans of the term “poor” is comparatively wealthy in the minds of those in ravaged third world countries. The decision to give up a child is not that far outside understanding if it comes down to exchanging one life for betterment of the rest. Those in the trafficking business will also lie about the child. They go to poor villages and tell parents that if they let this child go to work, they will send money back. Once convincing them of this lie, they take the child never to return.
If we go into communities that have nothing and teach them a simple trade or give them an animal that can be bred or offers a product (like eggs or milk), the entire community will be changed. By giving them a commodity other than children, you are in effect increasing the worth of life. Trades like making jewelry and the investment of animals like goats or chickens are among the most popular ways to bring small economics into tiny communities that will gradually improve the overall state of life. Organizations such as Heifer International are firm in their stance to provide long-term solutions instead of a quickly digestible free lunch. This comprehensive way of giving achieves much more than a gift, it increases the worth of life, as those who are impacted have gained the dignity of sustainability.
There are also ways that Americans with a surplus in their budget can equally impact the movement. Microfinance institutions are blooming in many communities. Someone wanting to help can offer loans in small amounts through institutions like Kiva, “a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the Internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world” (2005-2011). Microeconomics and microfinance organizations are trying to infuse poverty not only with hope, but also money, which supports real change.
The reality of trafficking and slavery is daunting, and it would only make sense that the ways we are trying to stop it must be just as big. If we do not take action to end Modern Slavery completely, we will see the worth of human life continue to decline. The statement given by the Congress of the United States when enacting the Trafficking Victims and Protection Act speaks to this resolve:
One of the founding documents of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people. It states that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. The right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude is among those unalienable rights. Acknowledging this fact, the United States outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865, recognizing them as evil institutions that must be abolished. Current practices of sexual slavery and trafficking of women and children are similarly abhorrent to the principles upon which the United States was founded. (Rickert, 2010)
I will break the void of banter for just one moment, going back under as quickly as I have surfaced.
This needs to be heard:
"In our biblical worldview today we must reframe the gospel as something that gives us life, not just a secure death.
In our story, heaven is not the goal; it's the destination. We're going to reign with God forever in the renewed heaven and renewed earth. That's our destination. But the goal now is spiritual transformation into Christlikeness on earth now as it already is in heaven."
-John Lamb (my philosophy teacher)
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5
Dear Lord Jesus, no one is as gentle as you—no one’s gentleness is more evident that yours. You are kind to the systemically broken, patient with repeat offenders and compassionate towards those of us whose struggles are legion. You’re never in a hurry, and you never come across as rigid or harsh. Your non-anxious, calm, encouraging presence gives us great hope that we too can become a gentle people. I lay claim to that hope today for myself.
Jesus, gentle me when I’m behind slow drivers who stay in the fast lane. Gentle me when I face both fair and unfair criticism. Gentle me when I think things that are obvious to me ought to be obvious to everybody else. Gentle me when loud boorish people invade “my space”—as though I have some inalienable right to a non-interrupted life.
Gentle me when I’m too tired to engage, but my wife really needs me to listen. Gentle me when I need a nap but my grandson needs to play. Gentle me when someone gets the last cookie I was already planning on enjoying with a glass of milk.
Gentle me when the vacation gets cut short by crises. Gentle me when friends keep making the same mistakes and foolish choices. Gentle me when the restaurant sends me home with the wrong takeout order. Gentle me when Satan starts condemning me for things I actually did, but things for which you already paid my debt.
Gentle me when I start debating theology rather than loving the people who see things differently. Gentle me when it gets too humid to run, disrupting my plans. Gentle me when I cannot fix the very people you never gave me to fix.
Jesus, you are so very near to us in the gospel, in fact, you live in our hearts. But you’re also near in terms of coming back to finish making all things new. How we long for that Day, more than ever. May your two-fold nearness generate a much quicker repentance on our part during this day. Gentle us for your glory by your grace, we ask. So very Amen, we pray, in your kind and loving name.
A Prayer for a Gentler, Kinder Heart is a post from: Heavenward by Scotty Smith
What a great way to start. Prayer is where it happens. Prayer is where I want to live.
Adieu!
Until next time....
G.O.S.P.E.L.
Published on March 12th, 2011Presented by our good friends at dare2share.org.
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I am unable and this is killing my pride, my drive and my purpose in your life.
I am sick, and have been for a bit. I am physically challenged by the hurdles my body is putting me through. I barely have enough resolve to get up in the morning.
And yet, people are blowing up my phone. Not in a "do you need some chicken soup?" kind of way. But more in the sense of “why can you not help me…still?" kind of way. Through this I am seeing that I have done a very good job of making myself needed in other peoples lives. I believe that this is out of fear. I do not want to be alone. I easily believe the lie that If people need me they will call me. If they don’t need me then I am not worth their time. At this moment, I just need to be. I cannot help. I cannot hold anyone up and I definitely cannot muster up the stamina for hours of listening to others hard times.
Truth: This season is so good for my soul. I am not God, yet have I tried to be for others? I am not God, yet have I tried to be in my own life? As I continue to pair down my life and continue to say no (quite repetitively and usually with tears in my eyes), I am realizing that this moment is not about them. God is doing a work in me, and I can’t get in the way of it. Yes, I love people, yes, I love to help them, but how can I do that well if I am not ok? Instead of responding in love all I can do in this moment is be sad and spiteful.
The heart of man is dark and just like the silver refining process it takes a lot of heat to bring out and separate the evil from the good. A silversmith will place a blob of a mix of metals and rocks onto a large spoon, place it in a hot fire to melt it down. He then pulls it out and rising to the surface are the “impurities”. How many times does this happen? Until he sees his own reflection in the silver, not one spec of the contaminate can remain. As I am in a season of hot fire, melting down, some impurities are rising to the surface. This is a good thing. Maybe I’m not the “happiest” to be around right now, but in this moment I see that God is good and that he is doing good in my life.
God brings joy, but I do not believe that happy and joyful are synonymous.
I will not sit here and laugh away the hurt. I will not push away the feelings that this brings up. I will not pretend this is easy.
I will get up in the morning, I will love Jesus more at the end of this, I will see the bigger picture of this season in my life.
I usually do not read lyrics when people put them in blogs, so I will not be offended if you do not either. This song is on my heart though and fits this moment just right. Really truly and honestly if I had a way I would have coffee, or do voice teachings, or do bible study and street walking, I'd do your hair and take you shopping, I would have sleepovers and dinners, I'd have girl time and game nights, I would go to your parties, events, adventures and see you in concert.
But I do not have a boat, so I will slowly swim pointed north and hope that the shore breaks into view sooner than later.
burn slow, burning up the back wall
long roads, where the city meets the sky
most days, most days stay the sole same
please stay, for this fear it will not die
if i had a boat, i would sail to you
hold you in my arms, ask you to be true
once i had a dream, it died long before
now i’m pointed north, hoping for the shore
down low, down amongst the thorn rows
weeds grow, through the lillies and the vine
birds play, try to find their own way
soft clay, on your feet and under mine
breaking at the seams
heaving at the brace
sheets all billowing
the breaking of the day
sea is not my friend
seasons they conspire
still i choose to swim
slip beneath the tide
once i had a dream
once i had a hope
that was yesterday
not so long ago
this is not the end
this is just the world
such a foolish thing
such an honest girl
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I have been overusing my mind of late. I am currently enrolled in Colorado Christian University’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies. That is all just some fancy verbiage for online courses. It is honestly a sweet gig, I get to take six week courses. Yes that is right, some crazy person drummed up the idea of six-week intense bimester in which they take everything in a traditional semester and whittle it down into a whirlwind of information blasting through your brain. Ouch. It is hard!
Also I have gotten a new job at a sweet coffee house and roaster. The schedule is constant. I always work the same shift every day, and I love the atmosphere. I still don’t have a car these days but “The Factory” is only 1.7 miles from my house, so I bike to work. It is so great to wake up the tired muscles before I get to work. I really enjoy it most days, but if you live in Colorado or have ever visited here you know that the weather here is CRAZY. One day it will be 75 and the next it is barely able to conjure up 45.
It would seem that Mother Nature has something against early morning bike riders, as I have experienced every type of radical weather that starts five minutes after I leave my house and usually is over about five minutes after I get to work. Snowstorm, rainstorms, windstorms, bitter cold, and unusually warm and foggy mornings have all occurred in the last three weeks. Another whirlwind of extra information that has to compute through my brain. Even if you check the weather report before you leave the house, the likelihood it is wrong is about 95%. At least the meteorologists are consistent, eh?
All this information sits in my head and I have to get it out, so here at the blog there seems to be a theme of purging and squeezing out the proverbial sponge that is my mind. Something that has been a recurrent theme in my mind that needs to come out is the idea of home. What is home and how do I find it are two questions that beat heavily on my heart. The American Dream of a house with a white picket fence, a loyal dog and a family that loves, honors and respects me growing up to fulfill my legacy on this earth is so seductive. I must admit, I have dreamed along with its luring tones at times.
Are we not called to something better here on earth, though? I believe in taking the opportunities I am given. Take this new job, I was not looking for a new job, yet this one fell in my lap. The raise was significant enough to start paying down debts and save a bit of money, something I have never had the ability to accomplish. I saw that the opportunity provided was significant and it would have been stupid not to take the position. On this earth, as Christians we are granted the beautiful gift of the restoration. It begins on earth and the culmination of this process ends when we are met face to face by the Creator. Finally restored to do the very thing we were made from the beginning to be, reflections of His glory, image bearers of the Most High God, worshippers of the King of Kings. What a beautiful thought!
I crave that day. I crave the moment when the entire world is made right. When every longing of my soul brings me to Him, the One whose love has shifted my whole reality and being. The thing I must remember is that day is not here yet. I do not yet desire fully the things that draw me closer to God. I am a weak being with weak desires and vivid fantasy’s of how God should be enacting this out in my life. In reading about the Israelites in the Old Testament, I see how truly weak the heart of man actually is. The consistency of which they desert God, and fly after their own fantasies believing in fulfilling their own destiny makes for a redundant story. It also makes me ask: Is this my story? Am I seeking the desires of God’s own heart or mine?
I think that most times the desires I have within me are evil. At this point in my life I know that there are so many shiny things that capture my attention easily, and honestly I ride with them most times. I love God, but the truth is I cannot love Him rightly, without His help. I need God, to love God. It is such an out of the box line of thinking that my brain struggles with! I need God to love God! So today, as I awoke with dreams of a house of my own and kids that share my DNA, I realize that I have been called to such a time as THIS. The future is near, tomorrow will come, but as Mathew 6:25-34 reads:
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
I read this and wonder: Am I consistently seeking the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, OR my own? All definitions of the word righteousness infer goodness. By definition as a Christian, I believe that all men are innately evil. So once again, if I am seeking my own righteousness through my own desires, I am trying to climb a mountain that doesn’t even exist! Dreams are good, if God inspires them. My dream is to love Him the best I can during my short stay on earth. If that means a husband, a house, a dog, and some crazy kid with mohawks, then so be it. If that means I get to worship God more specifically by myself, then so be it. Sufficient is today its own worries and if I am so consumed in the future, I will simply let the Glory of today slip right through my fingertips.
That is really what it comes down to, eh? What did you do with today? Not where are you going? But what are you doing today? The end goal is supremely bitter if all you did to get there was coast. If it cost you much and took more from you than you thought you had in you, then the reward of the endpoint is that much sweeter. After a jumbled bit of mumbling, I guess I will end here. If you believe the dream ahead of you is from God, then are you living honorably in today?
Hebrews 3:12-19 seems a proper ending:
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
What a fair warning. I think it is anyways. I earnestly seek the Heart of the King today and pray that my own rebellion will not hinder me from His heartbeat. I pray also for you that God will reveal what dreams that are awake in you, are His, and which are yours. What a great gift we have in the Holy Spirit, who can help us see the
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